La scandaleuse ingénue

A terribly dated affair which I doubt was ever entertaining.

A supposed comedy with some musical elements. Neither the comedy nor the music works. The makers of the film appear to have a very narrow view of the world and all situations are forced to agree with this view. An avant garde artist is always impeccably dressed and groomed; the closest he comes to relaxing is loosening his tie. Is this really how it was in 1950?

Robert Cummings does his thing but he is dealing with very weak material set in a very unconvincing situation. Using "fuddy duddy" academia as the background is too lazy an option and doesn't work.

Overall, The Petty Girl is of possible interest to film buffs who search out quaint, unusual films and to fans of Robert Cummings. Otherwise, to be avoided. 2.75.

Like the previous contributor I fondly remember the lovely Joan Caulfield when I saw 'Girl of the year' at the Putney Odeon in London around 1950. As a teen just becoming aware of girls, I saw it four or five times !! The odd thing is the film was programmed with a Bing Crosby trailer and I got to know one of Bing's songs quite well, which years later won me a first prize in a BBC 'spot the tune' contest.

But best of all in the mid 1970s I met a gorgeous blonde lady on holiday in Greece. She was telling me that at one time she had been a Hollywood actress and showed me some old publicity pictures which I instantly recognised as being the wonderful Joan.

So having found this site I need to locate the film. I have a copy of 'Blue Skies' Best wishes to all Joan Caulfield fans.

Dennis Kenyon

I thought this was a pretty good culture clash movie. From 1950, a time when American women were starting to be able to show some leg and midriff, this movie shows quite well what older folks thought of these new hussy's, and how young people started not caring what the old folks thought. I'm sure this movie will mean little to those under 40, who have known nothing except bikinis on the beach, but for those old enough to remember such things, it was an interesting time and is well represented here.

But I suppose the culture clash aspect might translate to modern day youth. VERY few girls or women had tattoos or pierced belly buttons in the 1960's or 70's, and I'm sure today's young ladies couldn't care less about what grandma thinks about their "tramp stamps" and nose rings.

To say this movie is "quaint" is an understatement (a man and woman kissing in a parked car was considered disorderly conduct), but don't be surprised if people say the same thing about Pulp Fiction 50 years from now. And if I'm still alive when I'm 100, I'll be checking on those newest Pulp Fiction comments to find out if I'm right.

Any red blooded normal American male will love this movie. The movie is a celebration of God's greatest physical creation, the female form. I guess there's some kind of plot to this movie that I didn't pay too much attention to. All of the main actresses are dropdead gorgeous. It's celebrates the pinup art popular in the 1940s and 1950s. It showcases how beautiful women were often used in advertising to generate interest. A practice that under our more strict rules that we have today is no longer permitted. I would describe the movie as a "light" musical. There's only about three or four songs in the entire movie but they fit in well with the plot. I'm glad I was able to find this terrific film on DVD to add to my 3000 DVD/Blu-ray collection.

Joan Caulfield is a prim but beautiful college professor. Robert Cummings is an artist with a talent for cheesecake art who has become "serious" but mediocre. After a series of humorous misadventures this improbable pair bring each other to see their true selves and find they have a lot in common. There's lots of feminine pulchritude and good humor throughout. While pretty tame by today's standards, this is still a fun movie.